Prepare
Resupply on the GR20: where to restock
The GR20 isn't resupplied the way you'd imagine: no grocery shop at every stage, no half-board everywhere. A handful of real points — villages and stations reachable by road or train — let you restock; between them, the Park refuges sell only a hit-or-miss backup. Here's where to resupply, and how many days of food to carry between two.
The essentials
A few real points, a lot of backup
Remember a handful of real resupplies: Calenzana (the start), Haut-Asco, Vizzavona (mid-route, the most complete), then Usciolu and Bavella in the south. All are reachable by road or train — except Usciolu, a refuge famous for its shop. Between these points, the refuges sell a backup at best (pasta, tins, Corsican cheese), often sold out: a bonus, never a base.
⚠️ Be wary of lists that claim a "shop" at every refuge. On the ground, only Usciolu has a confirmed, genuinely well-stocked shop; elsewhere it's variable, expensive (everything comes up by mule or helicopter) and often sold out late in the season. Carry your calories, and check the rest with the warden.
The points, north to south
Where to put together a real resupply
From start to finish (Calenzana → Conca), the places to restock. The Resupply column tells a real shop from a mere backup, and from what is still unconfirmed.
| Point | Type | Resupply | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calenzana (start) | Village · road | Real shop | SPAR mini-market + village shop, gas (stock sometimes low in July), restaurants. The last real restock before several days. |
| Haut-Asco (Ascu Stagnu) | Station · road | Real shop | Well-stocked mini-market + bar-restaurant, gas for cooking. The first real top-up in the north. |
| Castel di Vergio | Hotel · road | Backup | Small hotel shop (fruit, tins, pasta, cheese, bread) + restaurant. Mixed reviews. Gas not confirmed (☎ +33 4 95 48 00 01). |
| Vizzavona | Village · station | Real shop | La Halte du Prince + station shop: the most complete mid-route resupply. Gas sometimes available. |
| Capannelle bergeries | Private gîte | Backup | U Fugone gîte: Corsican-produce shop + backup (pasta, tins, chocolate, drinks). |
| Usciolu | Refuge | Real shop | Reputedly the best-stocked shop on the GR20 (resupplied by mule); even some gear. The priciest. |
| Col de Bavella | Village · road | Real shop | Catalina shop + inns and restaurants: the south's good resupply. |
| Conca (finish) | Village | Unconfirmed | Trail's end: food and a shuttle to Porto-Vecchio, but an open grocery shop isn't confirmed. |
Between these points, the Park refuges sell only a hit-or-miss backup (pasta, tins, Corsican cheese at best), often sold out. The refuge-by-refuge detail (signal / water / resupply) is on signal & resupply and the refuge pages.
The longest carries
How many days of food to carry
How much food you carry depends on the longest leg between two real resupplies. The three to anticipate:
- Vizzavona → Bavella — the tightest, ~3 to 4 days depending on your split. Usciolu (a well-known but pricey shop) breaks this block in two.
- Castel di Vergio → Vizzavona — about 3 days on backup only.
- Calenzana → Haut-Asco — about 3 to 4 days, but you set off stocked from Calenzana.
These figures are indicative, reconstructed from the position of the road points — not an official split. Over 182.4 km and 16 stages, the number of days between two resupplies varies with your pace (whether you double up stages or not).
The strategy
Think in blocks
- Think in blocks between the reliable points: Calenzana → Haut-Asco → Vizzavona → Usciolu → Bavella.
- Big restock at Vizzavona (mid-route, the most complete) before the longer, more remote south.
- Carry your calories: treat refuge shops as a bonus, never a base.
- Buy gas early (Calenzana, Vizzavona) — it isn't guaranteed in the remote refuges.
- Lighten up with half-board: meals are ordered from the warden on site (not online). See booking and the budget.